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Old 05-20-2018, 04:11 PM   #1
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Not my day--Steps will not retract

So finished up with my maintenance day, in addition to the potential air leak mentioned earlier now the steps will not go back in. I checked the fuse in bathroom it is good. Is there another fuse somewhere?

Anyone have any ideas on where to start the trouble shooting? They have been out for about a month in storage.

DW corrected me, they were not out when we got there, they came out when I opened the door but they did not go back in when I backed out of storage and they did not go back in when I put it up.
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Old 05-20-2018, 04:14 PM   #2
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If you start the coach do they auto retract, is the step switch in the correct position to retract when door closes?
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Old 05-20-2018, 04:20 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdennislee View Post
If you start the coach do they auto retract, is the step switch in the correct position to retract when door closes?
No they will not auto retract, yes cycled the switch with the coach running and not running,

No movement and do not hear/see the motor even attempt to move them.
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Old 05-20-2018, 04:27 PM   #4
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There can be three fuses in a Kwikee step system .

A question , did you switch off the house batteries before you tried operating the steps ?
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Old 05-20-2018, 05:29 PM   #5
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There can be three fuses in a Kwikee step system .

A question , did you switch off the house batteries before you tried operating the steps ?
We did cycle the house batteries once started trying to troubleshoot it.
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Old 05-20-2018, 07:16 PM   #6
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Spray lube all of the pivot points then try giving the steps a push.
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Old 05-20-2018, 09:13 PM   #7
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Spray lube all of the pivot points then try giving the steps a push.


Just a question, but I’ve always read/heard not to lube the step pivots as they will get road sand etc. in them which leads to excessive wear.

Did I hear that wrong, or do you use some kind of non-oily lube?
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Old 05-20-2018, 09:27 PM   #8
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Just a question, but I’ve always read/heard not to lube the step pivots as they will get road sand etc. in them which leads to excessive wear.

Did I hear that wrong, or do you use some kind of non-oily lube?
I don't lube my steps but my understanding is that silicone doesn't attract road dust and dirt.
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Old 05-20-2018, 09:41 PM   #9
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Could be low battery.
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Old 05-20-2018, 09:55 PM   #10
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I just had a frustrating time with our steps, too. They were working fine for months and then stuck in the retracted position when I opened the door at a fuel stop! And stayed retracted for a couple of days. Big step there with no stairs.

Fuses on our 13 Anthem are in the compartment under the driver. Two fuses for steps labeled in the panel that always stays hot for battery power. Ours were OK.

Learned a trick from a helpful tech I knew. They occasionally just jam for no reason in the gear box. Rapping on the gear box with a hammer did not suffice.

Ended up forceably fishing the red and yellow wires to the motor out to where they could be cut and stripped of the wire loom cover. Hard to access with the steps retracted. Cut both the red and yellow wires and stripped the ends leading to the motor. Used a jumper wire to jump directly from the 12 volt feed wire. Alternate between the red and yellow to the motor with direct 12 volts and repeatedly while rapping on the gear box.

This jogs the motor in and out while the rapping helps clear the jam in the gear box.

Steps started working out of the blue for no explainable reason other than the electrical jogging in/out and the rapping on the gear box. Reconnect the red and yellow with butt connectors and the steps worked the rest of the trip home and since (7days)!

We "fixed" nothing but just did the rapping and electric jogging of the motor direct.

Tech say they may never do this again and may do it the next time I open the door..... based on his experience and what i witnessed i believe it.

The tech indicated the gear box jams and the current limiting feature of the controller keeps it from unjamming itself by opening and closing the door to reverse operation of the mechanism.

I plan to cut and splice an alternate red/yellow wire harness into the step harness to be able to bypass the controller and manually jog them with direct 12 volts. I'll leave that pigtail where it is accessible easily without hacking into the harness like we had to do. And, plan on tearing the gear box apart to see what exactly can get cocked to jam and try lube or clearancing to prevent it. The extra jog harness extension being in place will probably be enough to ensure I never need it...hopefully.
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Old 05-21-2018, 04:50 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnontheroad View Post
Just a question, but I’ve always read/heard not to lube the step pivots as they will get road sand etc. in them which leads to excessive wear.

Did I hear that wrong, or do you use some kind of non-oily lube?
If they are not lubed, the will rust or corrode to where they will not pivot. I spray lube mine twice a year with silicone spray, then again if we have driven through rain. Others will complaint about Silicone, but I have been using it for 15 years without a problem so I stay with what has worked for me.

Michael. also try unplugging the motor/controller plug and clean the contracts with spray contact cleaner. They can get corroded from road spray, the plugs sits in a terrible location.

Here is another post with trouble shooting ideas. http://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/entr...em-320601.html
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Old 05-21-2018, 09:17 AM   #12
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OK, thanks for that information, will be out there this weekend, getting ready for a two week trip in June. No trip this holiday weekend, so hopefully I can get this figured out and fixed. If not I have time before the trip to take it to a shop if necessary.

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Old 05-21-2018, 12:03 PM   #13
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Michael, Page 11 is the step by step trouble shooting guide to check the motor, controller etc. https://www.rvtechlibrary.com/exteri...svc_manual.pdf
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Old 05-21-2018, 04:06 PM   #14
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There is a fuse in the outside bay door under the driver
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